The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc has said it cut power supply to the Oyo State Secretariat because the state government has yet to pay N450m owed to the firm for electricity supply.

IBEDC, in a statement on Wednesday, informed its customers of what it described as “the retaliatory and illegal action of the Oyo State Government over the issue of its huge indebtedness.”

It said, “The Oyo State Government, on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, commenced the sealing of our offices within the state over some suddenly contrived debts labelled revenue bills and personal income without due notification.

“This issue of revenue bills and personal income arising now is quite suspicious.”

According to the Chief Operating Officer, Mr John Ayodele, the Oyo State Government owes IBEDC N450m for over a period of three years.

He said the company, as part of efforts to get the outstanding amount paid, initiated several engagements through correspondences and physical meetings, but all the efforts yielded no result.

However, the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue has given reasons why it sealed offices of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over a tax default in excess of N400m.

The board, in a statement by its Chairman, Mr. Femi Awakan, said that the state government duly obtained an order of the Oyo State High Court before sealing off some of the offices of the distribution company.

Some of the offices affected in Wednesday’s action include the company’s headquarters in Ring Road, Ibadan and its offices at Mobil, off Ring Road, Dugbe, Ojoo/Iwo Road office as well as Monatan, all in Ibadan.

The state government had applied for the warrant to enforce the payment through suit No. M/122/2022, which has the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Board of Internal Revenue Service of Oyo State as applicants, while IBEDC is the respondent.

The state government said it had, in line with its avowed commitment to the observance of the rule of law, filed an application before Justice O.M Olagunju, seeking the issuance of a warrant authorising its officers to “distrain upon any land, premises or places of which the respondent is the owner.”